This invention relates to an electrical connector (which will only be referred to as “connector” hereinafter) a multi-direction card insertion type which is connected with the card, such as an SIM (Subscriber Identify Module) card for a mobile telephone. Such a card has a surface on which contacts or contact plates are formed.
One type of connectors for an SIM card comprises an insulator having a surface on which contacts are arranged. A connector of the type further comprises a cover which surrounds the surface of the insulator with a gap between the cover and the surface of the insulator. An SIM card is inserted into the connector of the type, namely, the gap between the cover and the surface of the insulator. Instead of the cover, another connector of the type is arranged near a plate, e.g. a part of a housing of a telephone, with a gap between the plate and the surface of the insulator. In the arrangement, an SIM card is inserted not into the connector itself but into the gap between the plate and the surface of the insulator so that the contacts of the SIM card are in contact with the contacts of the connector. In the present application, the insertion of an SIM card means that the contacts of the SIM card are forced to be in contact with the contacts of a connector. For example, an expression “an SIM card is inserted into a connector” is also used in a situation that the SIM card is slid on the surface of the insulator in order that the contacts of the SIM card and the contacts of the connector are brought into contact with each other. In this connection, a term “an insertion direction of the SIM card” includes the meaning of “a slide direction of the SIM card.” Another term “a direction” means “one way direction”, unless otherwise specified. For example, a right-to-left direction is normally different from a left-to-right direction in the present application.
There are multi-direction insertion type connectors each of which is designed to allow an SIM card to be able to be inserted into the connector in the multi-directions. A designer of a mobile telephone may arrange a multi-direction insertion type connector within the mobile telephone so that an SIM card can be inserted into the connector in the multi-directions. Also, he/she may select one insertion direction among the possible directions and may arrange a multi-direction insertion type connector within the mobile telephone so as to use only the selected insertion direction. A multi-direction insertion type connector can therefore provide flexibility for design of a mobile telephone, especially, arrangement of the connector within the mobile telephone. Such a connector is disclosed for example in JP-A 2000-36349.
Each of contacts of an existing connector is designed so as to have guide portions in four directions, which can guide insertions of an SIM card in the respective directions. The number of insertion directions of an SIM card into a connector is determined by an arrangement of the contacts on the connector. For example, if contacts are arranged on a connector in one or more lines regularly, the number of insertion directions of an SIM card becomes four.